Public Health Commons^™

Nutrition And Exercise Resources For Uninsured Patient Populations, Sabrina Marie Paparo, Samantha Plasner, Runi Patel, Wendy Briaguez

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Proper nutrition and exercise is integral for the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as type two diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. However, health care disparities in the United States, such as lack of access to primary health care, has been an ever growing problem. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between being uninsured and having worse health outcomes, and to determine if there is a need for accessible nutrition and/or exercise resources for this population. To conduct this research, a survey was distributed at the Cherry Hill Free Clinic …

End Of Life Symptom Management In The Emergency Department, Alice Chang, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The Emergency Department is at times the only place patients can turn to for symptom relief. In an aging population, this means that more patients are presenting to the ED towards the end of life (EOL). Emergency medicine (EM) prides itself as a specialty that handles disease-directed treatment for a variety of acute conditions. In contrast, palliative care (PC) is focused on improving the quality of life (QOL). It has become essential for EM physicians to care for patients who are not seeking life-sustaining measures, but instead quality of life interventions. Patients with serious illness, even hospice patients, present to …

Evaluating Cognition In Individuals With Huntington Disease: Neuroqol Cognitive Functioning Measures, Jin-Shei Lai, Siera Goodnight, Nancy R Downing, Rebecca E Ready, Jane S Paulsen, Anna L Kratz, Julie C Stout, Michael K Mccormack, David Cella, Christopher Ross, Jenna Russell, Noelle E Carlozzi

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

PURPOSE: Cognitive functioning impacts health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for individuals with Huntington disease (HD). The Neuro-QoL includes two patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of cognition-Executive Function (EF) and General Concerns (GC). These measures have not previously been validated for use in HD. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Neuro-QoL Cognitive Function measures for use in HD.

METHODS: Five hundred ten individuals with prodromal or manifest HD completed the Neuro-QoL Cognition measures, two other PRO measures of HRQOL (WHODAS 2.0 and EQ5D), and a depression measure (PROMIS Depression). Measures of functioning The Total …

Relationships Among Apathy, Health-Related Quality Of Life, And Function In Huntington's Disease., Nora E Fritz, Nicholas R Boileau, Julie C Stout, Rebecca Ready, Joel S Perlmutter, Jane S Paulsen, Kimberly Quaid, Stacey Barton, Michael K Mccormack, Susan L Perlman, Noelle E Carlozzi

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Up to 90% of individuals with Huntington's disease (HD)-a progressive, inherited neurodegenerative disorder-experience apathy. Apathy is particularly debilitating because it is marked by a reduction in goal-directed behaviors, including self-care, social interactions, and mobility. The objective of this study was to examine relationships between variables of apathy, functional status, physical function, cognitive function, behavioral status/emotional function, and health-related quality of life. Clinician-rated measures of physical, cognitive, and behavioral function, including one clinician-rated item on apathy, and self-reported measures of physical function, health-related quality of life, and emotional, cognitive, and social function were collected in a single session from 487 persons …

A New Measure For End Of Life Planning, Preparation, And Preferences In Huntington Disease: Hdqlife End Of Life Planning, Noelle E Carlozzi, E A Hahn, S A Frank, J S Perlmutter, N D Downing, M K Mccormack, S Barton, M A Nance, S G Schilling, Hdqlife Site Investigators And Coordinators

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Huntington disease is a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disease. Because the end result of Huntington disease is death due to Huntington disease-related causes, there is a need for better understanding and caring for individuals at their end of life.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to develop a new measure to evaluate end of life planning.

DESIGN: We conducted qualitative focus groups, solicited expert input, and completed a literature review to develop a 16-item measure to evaluate important aspects of end of life planning for Huntington disease. Item response theory and differential item functioning analyses were utilized to examine …